Optical pickup feed unit of optical disk player

Abstract

An optical disk player is provided, which includes a drive chassis provided with: a spindle motor for driving a turntable on which an optical disk is supported; a photopickup with a rack which is movable while being guided in the direction of approaching/separating with respect to the turntable; and a feed motor for applying a driving force to the rack. The rack is disposed on an operating line crossing the spindle motor, and an end portion of the rack is positioned within the area of a corner portion of a quadrilateral circumscribed in the outer circumference of the optical disk when the photo-pickup is moved to a position remotest from the turntable, thus, no hindrance is created by the thus projected portion of the rack because that area is a dead space of the player.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In an optical disk player including a drive chassis provided with: a spindle motor for driving a turntable on which an optical disk is supported; an optical pickup with a rack which is movable while being guided in the direction of approaching/separating with respect to said turntable; and a feed motor for applying a driving force to said rack, an optical pickup feed unit characterized in that said rack is disposed on an operating line crossing said spindle motor, and an end portion of said rack is positioned completely inside the area of a corner portion of a square circumscribing the outer circumference of the optical disk, whereby side dimensions of said square equal the diameter of said optical disk, when said optical pickup is moved to a position remotest from said turntable.   
     
     
       2. An optical pickup feed unit according to claim 1, wherein the area of said corner portion is a dead space of the optical disk player. 
     
     
       3. An optical pickup feed unit according to claim 1, wherein said rack has a length sufficient for said optical pickup to move substantially over the whole extent of the radius of the optical disk. 
     
     
       4. An optical pickup feed unit according to claim 1, wherein said spindle motor and said feed motor are located proximate to one another and said rack, at its closest position to said turntable, does not interpose between said spindle motor and said feed motor. 
     
     
       5. An optical pickup feed unit according to claim 1, wherein said square circumscribing the outer circumference of the optical disk substantially corresponds to the boundaries of a casing for said optical disk player.